American baseball player
| Dennis Bennett | |||
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Bennett in 1966 |
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| Born: October 5, 1939 Oakland, Kalifornien |
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| Died: March 24, 2012 (72 years) Klamath Falls, Oregon |
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| May 12, 1962 for the Philadelphia Phillies | |||
| September 29, 1968 for the California Angels | |||
| win-loss record | 43–47 | ||
| Earned running average | 3.69 | ||
| Strikeouts | 572 | ||
| Innings pitched up | 863 | ||
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Dennis John Bennett (October 5, 1939 – March 24, 2012) was an American professional baseball starter who played in seven seasons (1962–1968) for the Philadelphia Phillies, Boston Red Sox, New York Mets and California Angels major League Baseball (MLB) played. Bennett hit and threw left-handers, was 6’1″ and weighed 185 pounds. He was the older brother of Dave Bennett, a right-hander who appeared in an MLB game as Dennis’ Phillies teammate from 1964.
Born in Oakland, California, Bennett grew up in the town of Yreka in the Shasta Valley near the Oregon border and attended Yreka High School. He was signed by the Phillies in 1958 after attending Shasta College and played four full seasons in their farm system before being promoted from triple-A to the majors in May 1962. He had a strong rookie campaign, appearing in 31 games including 24 starts and winning nine contests with seven complete games and two shutouts. He struck out 174 hits in 1742⁄3 Innings were in double figures in four games and hit double figures. He was seriously injured in a car accident in January 1963 while playing winter baseball in Puerto Rico, delaying his 1963 debut until June 23. Still, he won nine more games as the Phillies finished in the Premier League for the first time since 1955.
It was the Phillies’ opening day, starting against the Mets in 1964, and did not record a decision in a game the Phils eventually won 5-3 behind reliever Johnny Klippstein. Bennett took a regular turn in the 1964 Phillies starting rotation, but a lingering shoulder injury, a holdover from his car accident in the winter of 1963, began to limit his effectiveness in the final weeks of the season. In late September, during the Phillies’ disastrous ten-game losing streak that knocked them out of first place, Bennett lost his only two starts: September 23 to the Cincinnati Reds and six days later to the St. Louis Cardinals. In November, he was traded to the Red Sox for beating first baseman Dick Stuart.
A sore arm plagued Bennett during his Red Sox tenure: He made 42 starts in nearly2 1⁄2 years, culminating in a lonely full game, 4-0 shutout against the Angels on May 1, 1967 – a game in which Bennett helped his own cause with a treble at home against Jorge Rubio. He had another full game win against the Angels on May 30 (a 5-hit, 6-1 triumph), but just over three weeks later he was traded to the Mets for a waiver. During his half-season with Boston, he contributed four wins to the 1967 Red Sox, who unexpectedly won the American League pennant on the final day of the season.
After going 1-1 with the 1967 Mets, Bennett played at Triple-A level in the Chicago Cubs organization before landing with the 1968 Angels, where he went without in five decisions in the last two months of the season victory remained. In an MLB career spanning seven seasons and spanning 182 games, Bennett had a 43-47 record with 572 strikeouts and a 3.69 ERA in 863 innings, including six shutouts and 28 complete games. He played in the minors until 1973 before retiring from the game.
Tod
When Bennett left baseball, he owned a bar in Klamath Falls, Oregon. He died at his home in Klamath Falls on March 24, 2012, aged 72.
